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Good evening, or good morning, to everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
I would like to express, both personally and on behalf of the Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI), my heartfelt thanks to Mons. Jozef Barla\u0161,<\/span> <\/strong>Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and the entire Dicastery for the invitation to participate in this webinar of reflection on the occasion of the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. It is an honor for me\u2014and also a responsibility\u2014to share some reflections on such a broad and complex topic, which involves demographic, social, educational, psychological, legal, and, not least, ethical and spiritual dimensions. The theme the Holy Father has chosen for this year\u2014\u201cEven just one of these children\u201d\u2014offers us a particularly meaningful perspective: it invites us to return to the uniqueness of each person. Nevertheless, we must begin with a fact<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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I. Global Mobility and the Plight of Minors<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The phenomenon of mobility and the forced displacement of minors<\/b><\/span>, although not a recent historical development, is today one of the most complex and significant social and ethical challenges<\/span><\/strong> on the global stage. According to the most recent UNHCR data, as of the end of 2025, there were 117.8 million people forcibly displaced worldwide due to armed conflicts, political instability, economic deprivation, and, in some contexts, the effects of environmental and climate-related events. Of these, approximately 45 million were children and adolescents under the age of 18, accounting for about 39% of the total.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
As we are well aware in this gathering, behind the statistical aggregates are human beings<\/b><\/span>: every child carries a unique story, marked by the experience of adversity and the trauma of displacement, as well as\u2014for many\u2014the dangers of the journey. Departure can suddenly sever family ties, interrupt educational paths, break friendships, and upend the fundamental points of reference for development<\/b>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The journey<\/b><\/span> can be a time of particular vulnerability during which many children are exposed to violence, exploitation, family separation, and other forms of abuse. UNICEF has estimated that, along the Central Mediterranean route, approximately 3,500 children died or went missing in the decade leading up to 2025; according to the same source, about seven out of ten children undertake that journey without a parent or legal guardian.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Arrival in the host country<\/span><\/b><\/span> does not automatically mark the end of these difficulties. On the contrary, it represents the beginning of a new phase<\/b><\/span> in which the child must navigate a different language, a new school system, new cultural norms, and unfamiliar social contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
While public debate in the West is polarized around the management of resources, security, and borders, host countries have an ethical, legal, and civic duty to provide these children with the tools to integrate successfully<\/b><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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II. From Statistics to the Individual. The Church\u2019s Message: From \u201cTriple Vulnerability\u201d to \u201cEven One of These Children\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Faced with this reality, the Church\u2019s reflection offers an indispensable compass.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
A moment of extraordinary ethical and social power is represented by Pope Francis\u2019s Message for the 103rd World Day<\/b> <\/span>of Migrants and Refugees, with the theme \u201cChild Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless\u201d<\/i>. For the first time, an entire papal message has focused exclusively on children on the move, laying bare their tragedy and wounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
The extreme fragility of minors is defined by the overlap of three stigmas<\/b><\/span>: they are \u201cin a threefold way defenceless\u201d<\/span> <\/b>\u2014because they are children <\/b><\/span>(in the midst of their developmental phase and dependent on adults), <\/b>because they are foreigners <\/b><\/span>(deprived of full citizenship rights and uprooted from their own context), <\/b>and because they have no means to protect themselves<\/span> <\/b>(exposed to violence, trafficking, illegal labor, exploitation, or forced recruitment); suffering the consequences of migration that often takes place outside of regular and safe channels.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
In keeping with this focus, today we are called here to reflect on Pope Leo XIV\u2019s invitation to look beyond cold statistics<\/b><\/span>: for while numbers are necessary to understand the scale of the phenomenon, they are not sufficient to understand the person. We are called to recognize the intrinsic dignity<\/b> <\/span>of every child\u2014a dignity that precedes their status as a migrant, refugee, or asylum-seeker\u2014as an individual with rights, aspirations, and hopes for a future free from fear. The expression \u201cEven just one\u201d<\/i> therefore means restoring a face to those who risk becoming nothing more than a number.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
From this perspective arises a concrete responsibility<\/b><\/span>: to firmly apply the principle of the best interests of the child<\/b><\/span>, enshrined in Article 3 of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes universal rights for all children, regardless of their legal or immigration status, and to protect the right to life, to education, and to conditions that allow for the full development of the person.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
At the same time, the Holy Father warns us against loneliness, isolation, and rejection<\/b><\/span>, reminding us of the essential need to \u201cpromote opportunities for encounter and integration in which local young people and young migrants can support each other along a path of mutual respect, solidarity, and friendship.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
To understand the scope of this challenge and to ensure that these teachings become a living reality, it must be made clear that minors involved in migration processes do not constitute a homogeneous group<\/b><\/span>, but fall into different categories with specific vulnerabilities, resources, and clinical-sociological dynamics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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III. The Different Experiences: Categories of Minors in Migration<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
First and foremost, there are minors traveling with their families<\/b><\/span> who, although protected by the presence of their family unit, may be exposed to extreme and traumatic travel conditions, as well as to the difficulties associated with integrating into a new environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Then there are unaccompanied (foreign) minors (MSNA)<\/b><\/span>; <\/b>a phenomenon originally considered an \u201cemergency\u201d but now recognized as \u201cstructural.\u201d These are children and adolescents who arrive alone or who are left alone after their arrival. They do not constitute a homogeneous group<\/span><\/b>: they differ in age, background, family experiences, and motivations. It is precisely the absence of a family network that exposes them to particular vulnerabilities and serious early adverse experiences, making it necessary to provide support that effectively combines protection, active listening, and development. Without timely psychological and pastoral support, unprocessed trauma increases the risk of isolation<\/b><\/span> and, in the most severe cases, deviant behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\u00a0<\/span>Then there are the \u201cSecond Generation\u201d (2G) youth:<\/b><\/span> minors born or raised in their host countries, who share language, school, and daily life with their peers, but may encounter social, educational, and legal barriers that hinder full belonging and inclusion (access to work; citizenship), thereby fueling\u2014through rejection\u2014loneliness and identity isolation. Disadvantages in schooling and education do not necessarily stem from their abilities<\/b><\/span>: they may result from parents\u2019 difficulties in navigating the school system; from teachers\u2019 prejudices and low expectations, which end up steering these young people toward shorter or less qualifying educational paths; or from a lack of investment in early childhood (such as daycare centers), which is essential to counteract the reproduction of inequalities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Talking about migration also means broadening our perspective beyond those who arrive at our borders to include those who remain<\/b><\/span> behind. We are referring to the \u201corphans of migration\u201d (or Children Left Behind<\/i><\/b><\/span>). These are the minors left behind in their countries of origin<\/b><\/span> who <\/b>may spend long periods separated from one or both parents, experiencing emotional deprivation and emotional distress that affect their developmental well-being and mental health. We must therefore recognize the human, relational, and psychological costs of family separation and promote conditions that allow for the preservation of meaningful family relationships, preventing the growth of tomorrow\u2019s citizens from taking place in the shadow of a permanent absence.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
There is much more to be said about the centrality of education and learning, the role of schools, and the role of the community as a whole, but the time at our disposal does not allow for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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IV. The Four Verbs Applied to Children<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
From this perspective, however, we can reinterpret the four verbs proposed by Pope Francis<\/b><\/span> in his Message for the 104th World Day <\/span><\/b>of Migrants and Refugees, attributing to them a specific and reinforced meaning when applied to the lives of minors<\/b><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
To Welcome: <\/span><\/b><\/span>This means, first and foremost, recognizing the child or adolescent as a person, even before seeing them as a \u201cforeigner\u201d or a \u201cbureaucratic case.\u201d It means ensuring procedures that respect children\u2019s rights (the strict exclusion of administrative detention or detention at the borders<\/b><\/span>\u2014a practice contrary to the 1989 UN Convention), guaranteeing effective access to essential services, and reducing the risks to which the child may be exposed. It also means offering solutions appropriate<\/b><\/span> to the child\u2019s age and individual needs, prioritizing, whenever possible, family and community-based reception settings over large emergency centers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
On the topic of family separation and border detention, I\u2019d like to briefly share a personal experience<\/b><\/span>. Between 2017 and 2018, during a period of volunteer work with the Missionaries of St. Charles \u2013 Scalabrinians in Nuevo Laredo (Mexico), on the border between Mexico and the United States, I witnessed the story of a Honduran family: a father, mother, and two young girls, aged about two and six, awaiting permission to enter the United States. They were represented by a lawyer who visited them regularly. When the permit arrived, the family was separated: the father was transferred with his youngest daughter to the United States and held for weeks at a border facility, while the mother and older daughter remained behind, waiting for news. I still remember the older sister\u2019s desperate cries at the moment of separation and my responsibility, as an adult, to reassure her (or at least try to). I also remember the prolonged wait, the mother\u2019s vulnerability, and the little girl\u2019s suffering. It is an experience that made me acutely aware of how deeply separation affects children\u2019s emotional well-being, especially when it occurs amid great uncertainty (the timeline for reunification was unclear), leaving children with a sense of fear, disorientation, and helplessness.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
To<\/span><\/b><\/span> Protect <\/b><\/span>means building a network<\/b><\/span> of legal, social, and psychological support around the child. It means ensuring effective legal representation, promptly identifying situations of vulnerability, and guaranteeing access to necessary services. It also means safeguarding<\/b><\/span> the continuity of family relationships and promoting, when conditions permit, reunification processes that respect the best interests of the child. Protection also means creating the stability and routine <\/b><\/span>necessary for the child to process their experiences and regain a sense of security.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
To<\/span><\/b><\/span> Promote <\/b><\/span>means going beyond mere assistance<\/b><\/span>: a child does not only need to be kept safe, but also to be able to learn, develop skills, build relationships, and envision a future. Education<\/b><\/span>, vocational training, language learning, guidance, and social<\/span> participation<\/span><\/b> are therefore essential tools through which protection is transformed into autonomy and human development. In this context, there is also room for